Cover for manhole frames or the like



COVER FOR MANHOLE FRAMES OR THE LIKE Filed Dec. 17, 1934 WWI 42s A: 3

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11 QrToPA/EK Patented June 23, 1936 COVER FOR- MANHOLE FRAMES OR THE LIKE Walter E. Illig, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Banner Iron Works, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application December 17, 1934, Serial No. 757,847

7 Claims. (01. 292-240) This invention relates to covers for manhole frames or the like, and more particularly to the construction and arrangement of devices for holding and locking such covers in their seats in the frames.

With certain covers it is desirable that they be held firmly in their seats. For example, with manhole covers and the like, that are located in streets or other places where vehicles are continually running over them, it is desirable that they be held firmly in their seats and locked therein to prevent them from rattling and from being accidentally jarred loose; and the principal object of this invention is to provide a cover equipped with a device for holding it firmly in its seat and for locking it therein so that there is no chance of the cover working loose even though it be subjected to continual jolts and shocks. A further object of the invention is to provide a cover of this type, the locking parts of which cannot become so thoroughly rusted and bound together that they cannot be readily operated.

Still further objects of this invention are to provide a cover that can be readily unlocked and removed; that does not require a special key or tool for unlocking it; and that is simple in construction and comparatively inexpensive to make.

The invention consists in the cover construction and in the parts, combinations, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, and wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a manhole frame and cover embodying my invention with the cover shown in locked position;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section along the line 3-3 in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section along the line 4-4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section along the line 5-5 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section along the line 6-6 in Fig. 1;

"" Fig. 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing the cover in unlocked position; and

Fig, 8 is a side view of a wedge button used to force and hold the cover firmly in its seat in the frame.

In the construction illustrated, a circular manhole cover or lid l is shown seated in a hollow cylindrical manhole frame 2. The manhole frame is of usual construction for manhole frames; it has an inwardly extending annular flange 3 located near its upper end, which flange 3 forms a seat for the cover.

The cover I has a circular opening 4 near its edge, and provided on the under or inner side of the cover adjacent to such opening is an L-shaped bracket 5. The horizontal leg of this bracket extends below the opening 4 in the cover and has a circular opening 6 of the same size and in axial alignment with the opening 4 in the cover. Preferably, each side of the horizontal leg of the bracket has a brace member 1 extending therefrom and connected to the underside of the cover.

Mounted in the openings 4 and B in the cover and bracket, respectively, is a pin member 8 having an enlarged polygonally shaped head 9. In the drawing, the pin has an octagonally shaped head, and the cover has a similarly shaped recess Iii therein at the upper or outer end of the opening through the cover, which recess l I] is adapted to receive the octagonally shaped head 9 of the pin member; and the cover also has an under-cut pickhole recess H opening into the recess I0. The pin member, hereinafter called the locking pin, is of non-circular cross section. It has a substantially square cross section with roundedoff edge portions l2, and the diagonal width of the locking pin between opposite rounded-off edge portions thereof is made slightly less than the diametrical width of the circular openings in which the locking pin is mounted. By this arrangement, the locking pin is free to slide longitudinally in the openings 4 and 6 as well as rotate therein.

Mounted around the locking pin between the cover and the bracket is a circular button-like member I3 hereinafter called the Wedge button. This wedge button has a square opening M in its center through which the locking pin extends,

and the width of such opening is made slightly larger than that of the locking pin whereby the Wedge button is slidable lengthwise of the pin, but will rotate therewith when the locking pin is rotated. Thewedge button has a fiat slabbed off side portion i5 and a spirally arranged bottom cam surface l6 terminating in a step ll located near one end of the fiat side portion of the button and disposed at right angles thereto. The wedge button is of such size that when it is turned by the locking pin into locked position, as shown in Fig. 1, its peripheral portion will extend beneath and engage the annular flange 3 of the manhole frame and act as a wedge between such flange and the bracket on the cover and thereby pull the cover firmly in its seat in the manhole frame. When the wedge button is turned by the locking pin into unlocked position, as shown in Fig. 7, the slabbed 01f side portion of the wedge button allows it to clear the manhole frame flange so that the cover can be removed from its seat. Preferably, the upper edge of the wedge button is rounded off as at [8 in order to insure passing thereof beneath the manhole frame flange when the wedge button is turned from unlocked to locked position.

The top of the wedge button has an upright flange is extending around the opening !4 therethrough, which flange has a spirally arranged top cam surface 29 terminating in a step 2| located opposite the flat slabbed off side portion I5 of the wedge button. The manhole cover I has a lug 22 depending from the under side thereof, which lug is located near the locking pin opening 4 through the cover and on the opposite side of such opening from the edge of the cover. This lug 22 is adapted to engage the cam surface 2% at the top of the wedge button flange and thus prevent tilting of the wedge button when it is turned into locked position.

The top of the horizontal leg of the bracket has small bearing blocks23 of different heights provided thereon. In the drawing, three such blocks are shown, and these bearing blocks are semi-circularly arranged so that the bottom cam surface of the wedge button will engage and ride upon them. The highest of these bearing blocks is located at the free end of the bracket near its center and serves as a stop for the wedge button in unlocked positionv as the shoulder on the bottom of the wedge button will engage such block in this position.

. The locking pin extends below the bottom of the bracket and is provided with a lug 24 on one side at its lower end. This lug 24 is adapted to engage the bottom of the bracket and prevent complete withdrawal of the'locking pin when the cover is seated in the manhole frame. Suflicient clearance is, however, provided between the bottom of the bracket and the lug to permit partial withdrawal of the locking pin for manipulating it.

The walls ofthe locking pin openings thru the cover, wedge button, and bracket, respectively, have longitudinal slots 25 therein for accommodating the lug 24 on the locking pin to permit insertion thereof in these openings. The slot 25 in the wall of the wedge button opening I4 is located in the center of the side wall thereof opposite the flat side portion of the wedge button; the slot 25 in the wall of the bracket opening 6 is located at a point in the wall of the opening (see Fig. 5) which is not traversed by the lug side of the locking pin in turning from its unlocked to locked position. By this arrangement, the locking pin can only be removed after unlocking and removing the cover from its seat.

In use, the cover I is placed in its seat with the wedge button [3 turned in unlocked position where it will clear the manhole frame flange 3 and allow the cover to be correctly seated in the frame. When seated, the locking pin 8 is partially withdrawn and turned until sufiicient wedging action of the button is obtained between the bracket 5 and the frame flange to hold the cover .firmly in its seat. The locking pin is then moved inwardly until its octagonally shaped head 9 is seated within the similarly shapedoctagonal recess I0 in the cover adapted to receive the same. Obviously, in this position of the locking pin the sides of the non-circular head portion thereof will engage the wall portions of the recess in the cover and thereby prevent rotation of the locking pin which in turn prevents rotation of the wedge button and thereby definitely locks the cover in its seat. Accordingly, there is no chance of any accidental jarring of the cover causing it to work loose, and the advantage thereof is obvious.

With my cover, there is no possibility of the locking parts thereof becoming rusted together. Due to the shape of the locking pin, only the rounded off edge portions l2 thereof come in contact with the walls of the circular openings 4 and 5 through the cover and bracket so there is no possibility of the pin becoming rusted in these openings that it could not be readily rotated therein; at the same time there is sufficient surface contact between the rounded off edge portions of the pin and the walls of these open ings that the pin will be properly held therein. By using the small bearing blocks 23 on the bracket for engaging the cam surface H5 at the bottom of the wedge button there is no chance of the wedge button becoming rusted on these blocks to such extent that it could not be readily worked loose.

My cover has the further advantages that it is simple in construction and comparatively inexpensive to make, and it is a simple matter to remove the locking pin and wedge button for cleaning or replacement purposes.

While I have shown and described my invenas an integral part thereof or as a separate member aihxed thereto, and as numerous other changes may be made, I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction and arrangements of parts shown and described.

I claim:

1. A device for locking a cover to a frame, said cover having an opening therein and having a bracket on its inner side with an opening thru the bracket, comprising a pin slidably mounted in the openings thru the cover and bracket and having means adapted to engage a portion of said cover for preventing rotation of thepin when it is moved into a certain position with respect to the cover, and a member slidably mounted on said pin for rotation therewith between said cover and said bracket and adapted to engage a portion of said frame for holding the cover thereon.

2. A device for locking a cover to a hollow frame having an inwardly projecting portion, said cover having an opening therein and hav-' ing a bracket on its inner side with an opening thru the bracket, comprising a pin slidably mounted in the openings thru the cover and bracket and having means adapted to engage a portion of said cover for preventing rotation of the pin when it is moved into a certain position with respect to said cover, and a wedge member slidably mounted on said pin for rotation therewith between said cover and said bracket and adapted to engage said bracket and the inwardly projection portion of said frame and act as a wedge therebetween for holding the cover firmly on the frame.

3. A device for locking a cover to a hollow frame having an inwardly projecting portion, said cover having an opening therein with a nonciroular recess at the outer end thereof and having a bracket on its inner side with an opening therein, comprising a pin slidably mounted in the openings in the cover and bracket and having a non-circular head portion adapted tofit into the recess in the cover, and a wedge button slidably mounted between said cover and bracket and adapted to engage said bracket and the inwardly projecting portion of said frame and act as a wedge therebetween for holding the cover firmly on the frame.

4. A device for looking a cover to a hollow frame having an inwardly projecting portion, said cover having a circular opening therein with a polygonally shaped recess at its outer end and having a bracket on its inner side with a circular opening therein, comprising a locking pin of an angular cross section with rounded off edge portions mounted in the circular openings in the cover and bracket and having an enlarged polygonally shaped head portion adapted to fit into the recess in the cover, and a wedge button mounted between the cover and bracket and having an angular opening thru which the locking pin extends, and said wedge button being adapted to engagesaid bracket and the inwardly projecting portion of said frame and act as a wedge therebetween for holding the cover firmly on the frame.

5. A device for looking a cover to a hollow frame having an inwardly projecting annular flange forming a seat for said cover, said cover having an opening therein with a polygonally shaped recess at the outer end thereof and having a bracket on its inner side with an opening therethru, comprising a locking pin of angular cross-section slidably mounted in the openings in the cover and bracket and having an enlarged polygonally shaped head portion adapted to fit into the recess in the cover, and a wedge button mounted between said cover and. bracket and having an angular opening therein thru which the locking pin extends whereby the wedge button will rotate with said pin, said wedge button having a cam surface on one end whereby it will act as a wedge between the bracket and the projecting flange portion of the frame for holding the cover firmly in its seat in the frame, and said wedge button having a slabbed ofi side portion for allowing it to clear such flange in removing the cover.

6. A device forlocking a cover to a hollow frame having an inwardly projecting annular flange, said cover having an opening therein and having a bracket on its under side with an opening therethru, comprising a locking pin slidably mounted in these openings and having means adapted to engage a portion of said cover for preventing rotation of the pin when it is moved into a certain position with respect to the cover, and a wedge button slidably mounted on said pin for rotation therewith between said cover and bracket, said wedge button having its peripheral top portion adapted to engage the under side of the frame flange and having a bottom cam surface adapted to engage the bracket whereby said button will act as a wedge between the bracket and flange, and said wedge button having a slabbed off side portion for allowing it to clear such flange in removing the cover.

7. A device for locking a cover to a hollow frame having an inwardly projecting portion,

said cover having a bracket on its under side,

comprising a pin extending thru said cover and bracket, and a wedge member loosely mounted around said pin for rotation therewith between said cover and bracket, said wedge button having a cam surface formed at its bottom for engaging the bracket whereby the wedge button will act as a wedge between the bracket and the inwardly projecting portion of the frame for holding the cover thereon, said wedge button having a cam surface formed at its top, and said cover having a lug depending from its underside and adapted to engage such top cam surface for preventing tilting of the wedge button.

WALTER E. ILLIG. 

